MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association has announced its 7th Annual U.P. Notable Books List.

The UPPAA first initiated the effort in 2019 as a response to the lack of representation of U.P. writers in other Michigan state literary circles. They developed the program because traditionally, recognition of Michigan books had been dominated by the university presses downstate. As a non-profit organization that has represented U.P. authors for more than 25 years, UPPAA was in a unique position to highlight locally themed literature. An index of all past Lists can be found on the UPNotable.com website.

“What I found most surprising this year was the almost 50 wonderful submissions to U.P. Notable. We had more books to choose from than ever before, and the competition was steep! This year’s list reflects a diverse grouping of ever-popular U.P. authors, such as Tyler Tichelaar and Sue Harrison, along with some refreshing new writers, including Helen Raica-Klotz and Ellen Lord,” said Evelyn Gathu, director of the Crystal Falls District Community Library, who will continue the library’s alliance with UPPAA to co-sponsor the U.P. Notable Book Club. “You will also find Jon C. Stott and Mikel B. Classen, who really do a nice job representing the nostalgic U.P. in their works. And what a treat it is to have Deborah Fronteria and Frederick Stonehouse both awarded as recipients of U.P. Notable Classic distinctions.”

The club is available to any interested reader and has featured monthly Zoom meetups with national bestselling U.P. Notable authors such as Karen Dionne (“The Wicked Sister)”, Sue Harrison (“The Midwife’s Touch”, and Steve Lehto (“Death’s Door”). Members borrow the books from their local libraries or purchase them at local stores prior to discussions. Presentations often include author readings, a conversation on the making of the book, and a live Q&A with the audience. The next meeting will convene on Jan. 22 and the full year-long calendar will be announced shortly. 

To build this seventh annual list, UPPAA created a unique panel of jurists of Upper Michigan booksellers, book reviewers, librarians, academics, authors, and publishers to winnow down the list to just the 10 best books. Readers can find reviews of many of these books on the UP Book Review. The award committee emphasizes that the list is unranked, each title deserves equal merit as a U.P. Notable Book.

• 7th annual U.P. Notable Books list

1. “Straw Horse: A Kat Wilde U.P. Mystery” by Terri Martin

2. “Superior Stories” by Helen Raica-Klotz 

3. “The Mysteries of Marquette” by Tyler R. Tichelaar

4. “Enduring Legacies: People of the 1926 Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster” by Mary V. Tippett

5. “Wild Blueberry Summer: More Upper Michigan Moments and Memories” by Jon C. Stott 

6. “Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates” by Mikel B. Classen 

7. “The Caving Grounds: Poems” by Kathleen Heideman 

8. “Vigil: Poems” by Ellen Lord 

9. “Garden Sleeping, Garden Growing: In and Around All Year Long” by Diana Magnuson  

10. “Rescuing Crash, the Good Dog” by Sue Harrison 

• This year’s U.P. notable classics

The U.P. Notable Books Committee continues its U.P. Notable Classics initiative, which highlights significant U.P.-themed literature that has remained essential for 10 years or more.

1. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – 50th Anniversary Edition” by Frederick Stonehouse

2. “Living On Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy” by Deborah K. Frontiera

Established in 1998 to support authors and publishers who live in or write about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UPPAA is a Michigan nonprofit association with more than 175 members, many of whose books are featured on the organization’s website at www.uppaa.org. UPPAA welcomes membership and participation from anyone with a U.P. connection who is interested in writing and publishing books.